Shoulda Just Said So
by Fight'sNotOverYet
Summary: She's always loved him, ever since the beginning. However, she doesn't have the courage to tell him. So what happens when Gajeel gets his hands on Levy's diary? GaLe. OneShot.


_A/N: Wrote this for my good friend Sachi :3 Plus I needed to write something and I'm blanking on my other stories ;-; So here, have some GaLe \\(^ - ^)/ Enjoy~_

 ** _Shoulda Just Said So_**

~A GaLe OneShot by Fight'sNotOverYet~

Levy was sitting at one of the many tables in the bustling guild hall, busily writing in a notebook, delicate eyebrows slightly contracted in concentration. Her large hazel eyes flickered quickly as she wrote, stopping abruptly as she noticed a large figure suddenly block out the sun from her vision. She looked up.

"Hey there, Shrimp," Gajeel sneered, leaning over. Levy felt her heart rate increase. She swallowed before answering. "Hey," she answered, mentally patting herself on the back for keeping her voice from cracking.

"So what's up?"

"Oh, nothing," the bookworm replied. She suddenly became aware of how close he was to her and felt the heat rush to her cheeks. Gajeel's head tilted curiously. "You feelin' alright, Shrimp? Your face is kinda red." He placed his hand gently on her forehead, causing her to blush even more. _You're not helping, idiot!_ "D-Don't touch me so casually!" She said. "What did you want?"

The Iron Dragonslayer removed his hand. "Tch. Weirdo. Anyways, I was just gonna ask if you wanted to grab somethin' to eat." Levy's eyes widened and she swore her heart skipped a beat. "L-Lunch? With me?"

"Yeah, that a problem?"

"No! No, not at all..."

"'Kay, then what're we waiting for? I'm starving," he said, starting to walk away.

Levy was a mix of emotions as she watched him walk. _He wanted to have lunch...with me_? "Oh, wait!" The blue haired girl said, remembering what she was doing before Gajeel had come. "Ah, could I meet you someplace in maybe...20 minutes? I just need to finish writing this."

He raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? Whatcha doin'?" He asked, walking back over to her. "Writing a book or somethin'?" "You could say that," she replied hurriedly, shutting the notebook abruptly.

She grew nervous as she saw the skepticism in Gajeel's eyes. "Whatcha writing about?"

"U-Um...an adventure story."

"Oh really? Mind if I take a look?"

"Well, it's not that good yet, but maybe when I'm finished-"

"Oh c'mon, lemme see. It can't be that bad."

Next thing she knew, he had taken the notebook right out from under her hands and was about to open it.

"No!" She cried, lunging at him, trying to get it back. "Give it back, Gajeel!" "Ooh, is this your diary?" He snickered, a sadistic glint in his eyes. "I'm sure the whole guild would love to hear this."

 _Oh no. No no, please, don't..._ "Gajeel!" She said indignantly. "I'm not kidding, give it back!" He chuckled as he held up his arm so she couldn't reach. Then he started reading.

 _"'Fairy Tail. It's the place I grew up in. The place where I learned all the skills I have now. The place where I learned how to become a fighter, and not just some useless nerd.'"_

Levy covered her face in horror as a crowd started forming around them.

"Huh? Is that Levy's diary?"

"I've always wanted to know what's in there...she's never shown anyone!"

"Shut up, he's reading."

Gajeel continued. _"'So much has happened since the day I joined...countless battles, painful tears, and endless joy and laughter. The other members are my family. They're everything to me. I don't know what I'd do if they weren't around.'"_

Levy sat down, feeling lightheaded. _Oh no...oh god, here it comes..._

 _"'But I think the best thing that's happened to me while at Fairy Tail is meeting him. Yes, him. I'm not writing down who in case someone reads this. But anyway...he's everything to me. He acts all tough and rude, but I know deep down he's really such a sweet guy. Sure, he can have a temper every now and then, but I find that adorable. He's always looking out for the other guild members, and he's saved my life so many times...I wish I could find a way to tell him all this...but I'm a coward. I'm weak. I don't have it in me to confess...I'm certain he doesn't feel the same, so what's the point? But in the end, I guess I don't really need him to love me. As long as he's here, I'm happy.'"_

At that point, Gajeel had lowered his arm, a surprised look on his face. He closed the notebook and turned to Levy. The whole guild looked at her in shock. She snatched the book out of his hand furiously.

"There, are you happy now?" She spat, furious tears welling up in her eyes. She dashed out and the crowd parted for her, watching after her in shock as she wiped her face with her sleeve while running.

"Levy!" Gajeel yelled, running after her. But she didn't stop. She didn't even turn around. All she did was run, with no real destination. Anywhere away from the guild was fine. Anywhere away from _him_ was fine. He couldn't know. He couldn't.

She stopped to catch her breath and looked up as a clap of thunder rang in her ears. A single raindrop landed on her nose, and then it started pouring. "Oh, c'mon!" she said angrily. She held her notebook close to her and started running, looking for a familiar place where she could take shelter in. She ran too fast and her foot slipped, causing her to land in a puddle with an outcry of pain. "Ow..." She muttered.

She picked up her notebook and sat down in an alley, leaning against a cold brick wall. She rested her head and arms on her knees, tears silently streaming down her face.

"Well, hello there~" a drunken voice said. Levy snapped her head up. Standing before her were three men, all of which looked ridiculously drunk. She could smell the alcohol all too clearly. "What a cutie..." The first one murmured, reaching out to touch her cheek. She smacked his hand away from her. "Don't touch me!" She hissed.

His eyes widened in a crazed manner. "Ooh, feisty, are we? I like girls with a little fight in them." He grabbed her wrists and pinned them above her head, his surprising amount of strength overwhelming her. "Let's have some fun, girly."

Levy closed her eyes as the man leaned in, struggling against his grip. "No!" Her eyes snapped open as her hands were suddenly freed from the drunk's grip, her first sight being the man flying down the alley and landing on his back. He didn't get back up.

"What the hell?!" One of the other ones said. Both turned to look at the giant iron sword coming from Gajeel's arm pointed at their throats. "Try and touch her again," he growled dangerously, "and you can bet your ass that you won't have any limbs left."

"W-We're sorry!" They cried in terror before taking off.

"Tch. Pervs."

He shot a concerned look at Levy before offering his hand to her. "You alright?" "I'm fine, thank you," she said curtly, standing up on her own. She began to walk away, but Gajeel followed her. "What, are you mad at me or something?" "What do you think?" She spat.

"I didn't think it was something that personal."

"You should've just left it alone to begin with, idiot."

"If you told me I would have!"

"Wha-oh, now it's _my_ fault?! I can't believe you!"

"Hey, wait! I didn't mean-dammit!"

He grabbed her wrist and spun her around, pushing her against a wall. Her cheeks had a dark blush on them. "W-What are you doing?! Let me go!"

He bowed his head before looking into her hazel eyes with a sincerity that made her head spin. "Levy, I'm sorry." Her eyes widened. "I'm sorry," he repeated. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad..."

"Gajeel..."

"And I'm sorry if you feel like I ruined your chances with whoever it was you were referring to..."

At that moment, Levy's heart felt very heavy. Why couldn't she just _tell_ him? He was _right there_. She was tired of this; tired of going through the same thing over and over again, wasting every opportunity she was given.

 _I'll do it._

Gajeel hadn't noticed the blue haired girl's change in expression as he kept rambling. His cheeks were dusted a light pink. "I mean, good thing you didn't put a name in there. Because, that would've been, um...unfortunate, ahem. But if you don't mind, maybe you could tell me who-"

"It's you."

The Iron Dragon Slayer looked at her in shock. His cheeks did him the honor of heating up even further. "W-What?" Levy looked him directly in the eye, seeming irritated.

"I said it's you, you moron! You! I'm in love with _you_!"

Gajeel was at a loss for words. Both of them were blushing healthy shades of red in silence for awhile. "Hey, Shrimp, w-what're you, drunk or something?" He muttered.

"I'm not lying," she said, almost desperately. "In fact I don't think I've been more serious about anything in my whole life." She looked away, embarrassed, before she spoke again. "When I'm with you, my heart beats a little faster, and I feel like I can do anything. Like nothing bad could possibly happen. I can't really explain it, but you make me feel...secure. I feel safe when I'm with you. This huge warmth and happiness just fills me and it's like...like this little island of right in an ocean of wrong, and I-"

"Levy."

Levy froze as he gently tilted her head up. He looked her in the eye and chuckled at her red face. "You idiot." Her heart stopped as he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. Her body tensed at first, but then she relaxed and closed her eyes. If this was a dream, no way in hell was she waking up. She placed her arms around his neck, and the two stood there in the rain, not caring about who saw or what they said.

They pulled away after long seconds, and Gajeel leaned his forehead against hers with a smile and closed his eyes. "Shoulda just said so."

Levy couldn't help the tears of joy from spilling out. She sniffled and Gajeel had a panicked look on his face. "Hey! D-Don't cry!" She jumped at him and hugged him, earning a startled grunt from him. "I'm just really happy, is all," she said quietly. Gajeel smiled and returned the embrace, gently stroking her hair.

"So am I."

 _~Extended Ending~_

Mira, Erza, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Juvia, and Gray watched the seen from afar. Mira let out a squeal of joy. "I can't believe it! Finally! She's loved him for so long!" Erza smiled with satisfaction and nodded. "Indeed, it's about time they got together."

Juvia was latched on to Gray's arm, looking at him in desperation. "Oh, Gray-sama, Juvia wants that for us! Please accept Juvia's love for you! Here, you can even have this body pillow Juvia made just for you!" Gray blushed madly at the sight of the suggestive image on the pillow. "What the hell-knock it off, Juvia!"

"But Gray-sama!"

Gray freed himself from her grip and made a run for it. Juvia chased after him. "Gray-samaaaaa~!"

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Meanwhile, Natsu was sitting in the corner with a puzzled look on his face. "What's wrong, Natsu?" Lucy asked. "To think that Iron Bastard liked Levy..."

Lucy giggled. "I'm surprised you didn't notice, actually. You should've seen the way he looks at her sometimes."

The Fire Dragon Slayer scratched his head. "I always thought he had a thing for Lily."

"EHH?!" They all cried in unison.

"I can kinda see it," Mira said thoughtfully.

"MIRA-CHAN, NO!" Lucy said.

"Well, whatever," the Takeover Mage said calmly. A mischievous glint replaced the sweetness in her eyes. "In any event, the next thing we need to work on..."

"...is getting Natsu and Lucy together." Erza finished dangerously.

"Wait, what?!" Lucy cried, cheeks tinted pink. "You liiiiikkee him~!" Happy chuckled.

"Hmm? Me and Lucy?"

"That's right, Natsu!"

"But why?"

"Because you also liiiiikkkee her~!"

"I do?"

"Aye sir!"

"Oh, I see."

"DON'T JUST GO ALONG WITH IT!" Lucy yelled.


End file.
